OUR BEGINNING

“Run hard” and “Finish strong” are two phrases I heard from my dad growing up. At some point he added “Stay the course.” It was then that the phrases transitioned from encouragement in running to encouragement in life.

The Finish Strong 5k and 15k are named because of the influence the phrase had on my running and in my life. Finishing strong in a race is crossing the finish line with heart pounding, legs weak, light headed and gasping for air. This requires self-sacrifice, careful planning, good training advice, a large amount of personal energy and perseverance. The same is true to finish strong in other areas of life. I believe there are many practical and spiritual lessons that carry over from athletics into other areas of life. That is what makes Athletes in Action such a good fit as the charity for this race.

Athletes in Action (AIA) is a sports based Christian ministry. They believe in victory beyond competition and use sports as a platform to help people start and stay the course, run hard and finish strong. They do this by answering questions of faith, pointing athletes to Jesus as the example for living and helping people discover God’s purpose for their life.

I want to see them be successful. As a race team we are doing our best to put on a memorable event for all participants. I hope you will join us for this year’s race.

“Stay the course, run hard and finish strong”. (Thanks Dad!)
– Jeremy Demarest

The 15K is the 9th race in the Rochester Runner of the Year series!